Here is a pic of my son Ben with his first buck. He'd shot a couple does before.
I was rattling and grunting in an area I suspected held a good buck and Ben was daydreaming. I heard something coming and it didn't appear that Ben heard it so I was looking on the ground for a stick to poke him with or throw at him to get his attention. His cousin was sitting beside me and I could see he was watching me and puzzled. Then Ben saw the buck comingh and his cousin did too. Ben slowly raised his Rem. 788 (.243) and steadied it against the tree he was seated beside. The buck stopped in a patch of brush and there was no shot. I tickled the antlers and the buck moved ahead and stoppoed about 40 yards away. BOOM-SMACK and the buck ran off. We all looked at each other with wide eyes and I wispered we should stay put for awhile. I tought I had heard the deer fall over and kick. There was no snow on the ground so we had a bit of a time sorting out a blood trail (good experience for the two boys) Finally we almost stumbled on the buck while looking for the next bit of blood. Ben had made a perfect "boiler room" hit. The buck was down and dead but I do not like the way the .243 does not make big holes for blood to leak out of.

Anyway, here is a pick of a happy yopung fellow with his first buck.




It was a day we will all remember for a long, long time.

Robin in Rocky